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A few months ago I published a post on the last meals of criminals on death row. It was rather dark and macabre, and for that reason I’m doing it again! That and the fact that it was the most keen my boyfriend has ever been about reading my blog.

Philip Workman – Possibly Innocent?

Philip Workman

Philip Workman was convicted of the murder of a police office that occurred during a failed robbery of a Wendy’s in Tennessee.

Workman’s guilt remains controversial. Five of the jurors that convicted him have since signed affidavits renouncing either the sentence or the verdict. They cited both medical and ballistics evidence, unheard during the trial, that suggested the fatal shot was inconsistent with the bullets in Workman’s gun and were possibly accidental shots from other officers. Furthermore, one witness for the prosecution was found to have lied in his testimony.

Charges – Murder in the first degree

Execution – Death by lethal injection in Tennessee in 2007

Last Meal- Workman requested that a large vegetarian pizza be given to a homeless person in Nashville. Prison officials denied his request, but homeless shelters across the state received pizzas from all over the country in honour of his last request

Ronnie Lee Gardner

Ronnie Lee Gardner

Gardner was already on trial for the murder of a man during a robbery when he fatally shot an attorney in an failed escape attempt.

Charges – Two counts of murder in the first degree. He received life imprisonment for the initial murder and the death penalty for the second.

Execution – Death by firing squad in Utah in 2010.

Last Meal – Steak, lobster tail, apple pie, vanilla ice cream and 7-up. What I found cool was that he also spent his final hours watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

James Edward Smith – You remind me of a man…

James Edward Smith

Former Tarot card reader, Smith, like our previous two subjects, shot a man during a robbery attempt. Smith’s mother recalled that he was a loving and kind child until he began practicing black magic, voodooism and witchcraft.

Smith claimed to have participated in six ritualistic killings prior to his arrest. He also claimed that he had thrown the corpse of a one-year-old infant over a bridge after being beheaded as a sacrifice to a voodoo god.

Charges – Murder in the first degree

Execution – Death by lethal injection in 1990 in Texas

Last Meal – Smith requested a lump of dirt for a Voodoo ritual. His request was denied and he settled for a small cup of yogurt instead.

Lawrence Brewer – Ruined it for everyone

Lawrence Russell Brewer

A rampant white supremacist, Brewer and three other men offered a lift to a young black man who was walking home from a party. They proceeded to tie his feet with a chain and drag him behind the back of their truck. Eventually they decapitated the man and left him on the side of the road.

Charges – Kidnapping and murder in the first degree.

Execution – Death by lethal injection in Texas in 2011

Last Meal: Two chicken-fried steaks, one pound of barbecued meat, a triple-patty bacon cheeseburger, a meat-lovers pizza, three fajitas, an omelet, a bowl of okra, one pint of icecream, peanut-butter fudge with crushed peanuts and three root beers.

Brewer did not eat any of his epic meal, which resulted in the laws for last meals in Texas being changed. Inmates no longer receive a special choice. Dick move, Brewer.

That’s it for now, I’ll see you all next time. Have a happy Macbre Monday.

Last Month, I started a series on the last meals of the rich and famous. I’m very excited to continue this after such a long hiatus. My apologies for that by the way, work has been a bit of a nightmare. The good news is that I do in fact still have a job and am thus able to continue funding my internet connection and tea addiction.

With the explanations out of the way, let’s crack on, shall we?

Second Class Passengers of the TitanicDeath – 1912 from a rather pesky iceberg sitting in the middle of the North Atlantic.

In my previous post, I discussed the rather extravagant final meal of the 1st class passengers. As it turns out, the 2nd class passengers did pretty well for themselves too.

As far as last meals go, I must say that I’m rather impressed. I’ll be interested to see whether I can uncover the final meal of those in steerage for my next post.

Abraham LincolnDeath – Assassinated by John Wilkes-Booth in the Presidential Box of Ford’s Theatre in Washington.

Before Old Abe’s literal final curtain (Sorry, I know that was bad), he dined at the White House on Clear Mock Turtle Soup, roast Virginia fowl with chestnut stuffing, baked yams and cauliflower with cheese sauce.

Jimi HendrixDeath – 1970 after taking 9 sleeping pills and choking on his own vomit. Delicious.

Uncontested rock God and Woodstock icon, Jimi Hendrix (despite is rather Rock n Roll style death) had a somewhat less than revolutionary final meal before his accidental overdose – a simple tuna sandwich.

JFKDeath – Assassinated in 1963 by a gunshot wound to the head that totally came from the School Book Depository and definitely not from the Grassy Knoll, despite what forensic and video evidence suggests.

JFK’s final breakfast was consumed at a meeting with supporters before his fateful Dallas motorcade. It was supposedly quite typical of the pragmatic President – orange juice, coffee, soft-boiled eggs, bacon, and toast with marmalade.

HitlerDeath – Suicide in 1945, alongside his mistress-turned-wife, Eva Braun. A shot to his temple was the method of choice, whereas his bride of less than 48 hours swallowed a cyanide capsule.

Hitler became a vegetarian after the suicide of his niece, Geli Raubal. On a side note, I highly recommend that you read up on that inappropriate train wreck of a relationship.

Despite often being caught eating meat, Hitler’s final meal adhered to his vegetarian diet. It consisted of a simple vegetable soup with mashed potatoes.

That’ it for now, kids. I promise that with my life settling down a bit there won’t be such large gaps in between posts. I look forward to throwing more food related history at you soon.

Last week, I promised to start a series on the last meals of famous historical figures. As I began to research the topic I discovered that well-known chef and historian Andrew Caldwell has already released a book on this very topic. Furthermore, he also provides the reader with recipes and other interesting historical tidbits.

Boooooooo.

That being said, there’s no reason why we can’t take a peek at the topic ourselves. Let’s get started.

Cleopatra VIIDeath – 30 B.C. from an asp bite.

Known simply as Cleopatra, she was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty and was the last Pharaoh of Egypt. She’s famous for her love affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, as well as her dramatic choice of death. Legend has it that she chose this method so her features would remain unmarred. I like her style.

Cleopatra’s final meal was a simple dish of figs, served with a poisonous snake chaser.

First Class passengers of the TitanicDeath – 1912, although a great deal of the upper class survived the sinking.

Everyone should be familiar with the story of the Titanic, except for a few idiots on Twitter. I’m afraid I can’t speak anymore about that without going into a rage blackout.

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock for a hundred years, here is a short history of the Titanic – Big boat. Iceberg. Not enough lifeboats. Leonardo DiCaprio drowning.

This blonde bombshell was, and in many ways, still is the epitome of femininity and beauty. With perfect looks and an hourglass figure to die for, one might think that her last meal would consist of little more than leafy greens.

WRONG.

On the night of her death Marilyn ordered takeaway Mexican. A lot of it. The meal consisted of – gazpacho, chicken breasts, taco dip, meatballs, refried beans and veal parmigiana. What a legend.

ElvisDeath – 1977. He suffered numerous ailments in his final years, most of which have been associated with his death. Some of these include glaucoma, high blood pressure, liver damage, and an enlarged colon. All of these were exacerbated by drug abuse.

In his final years, Elvis had made a habit of feasting on particularly unhealthy snacks in the wee hours of the morning, and this occasion was no different. His final meal consisted of four scoops of icecream and six chocolate chip cookies, all consumed around 4am. It’s good to be the king.

He would be found dead on his bathroom floor (though some say it was on the toilet) later that afternoon.

To be continued…

On a side note, I’ve been toying with the idea of recreating the final Titanic meal and documenting it here on the blog. It would become yetanotherseries, as I would only do one or two courses at a time. I would love to hear your feedback on this. Is it something you’d be interested in reading?